![screen-shot-2016-09-07-at-8-24-45-pm](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-07-at-8.24.45-PM.jpg)
Emojis are distinct from emoticons!
Before we get into the history of emojis in full, there needs to be a quick clarification on emojis versus emoticons, as people sometimes get the two confused or use the words interchangeably. There’s a big difference between the two. Emojis are real images and symbols that are rendered on your devices, whereas emoticons are simply expressions and faces created with basic characters from your keyboard. For instance, the yellow smiley face and all its variations that’s rendered on your smartphone is an emoji. This expression that indicates a smile— :-) —is called an emoticon. Simple, ain’t it?![screen-shot-2016-09-02-at-12-47-14-am](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-02-at-12.47.14-AM-e1475686353303.jpg)
The origins of emojis
Where did emojis come from? They’re definitely a cultural phenomenon, as they originated from Japan, which you may have already guessed based on their name. As the 20th century drew to a close, Japanese mobile-phone companies were under increasing pressure to support Japanese users’ obsession with images. They began to remark on a trend where a lot of picture messages were being exchanged by their Japanese client base. So instead of just ignoring this and focusing on how they could charge their customers more money, these Japanese mobile-phone companies actually gave their users more of what they wanted. Take NTT DoCoMo, the biggest mobile-phone operator in Japan. In 1999, the company was already hard at work on something called i-mode, which is now an Internet service that’s extremely popular in the Land of the Rising Sun. i-mode was to be revolutionary for its time, combining email, news, weather forecasts and entertainment reservations as part of the planet’s very first mobile web platform.Just call him “Mr. Emoji”
According to the Verge, the man we can thank today for emojis is Shigetaka Kurita, the father of the emoji. As an employee of NTT DoCoMo back in the day, he was part of the intrepid i-mode team that sought to revolutionize Japan’s means of communication.![the-dude](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/the-dude.jpg)
![screen-shot-2016-09-07-at-8-05-02-pm](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-07-at-8.05.02-PM.jpg)
![screen-shot-2016-09-02-at-12-57-20-am](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-02-at-12.57.20-AM.jpg)
Emojis introduced to Japan’s carriers
After Kurita had finished his initial designs, he took them straight back to the major tech companies that initially rejected his suggestion that they design these emojis themselves. This time around, though, sensing that Kurita was on to something profitable that would catch on with Japanese consumers, they were more agreeable. Almost immediately, they took Kurita’s fledgling emoji designs and incorporated them as-is into their devices. Kurita was surprised by this move because he expected the various manufacturers to still improve on his designs. You have to remember that his designs were very basic and rough since he only had a 12-by-12 grid in which to work. In such a small space, detail has to be sacrificed to a certain extent. Initially, there was consistency to the emoji design since each manufacturer just used Kurita’s design as they were handed over. This allowed a certain “standard” to take form in these very early emoji days. Soon, though, this consistency would be thrown for a loop as NTT DoCoMo’s main competitors—J-Phone (now SoftBank) and AU—took some artistic license with Kurita’s rough designs.![screen-shot-2016-09-07-at-8-23-37-pm](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-07-at-8.23.37-PM-e1475687625615.jpg)
![screen-shot-2016-09-07-at-8-18-15-pm](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-07-at-8.18.15-PM-e1475686765475.jpg)
Enter Apple
If you want to thank a single company for popularizing emoji globally, look no farther than Apple. The company that gave us Steve Jobs’ leadership style, super in-demand handhelds like the iPhone, and the simplicity of everything syncing together seamlessly, also ensured that emojis would catch on all over the world. How did they do it? Wikipedia credits the global spread of emoji to the international inclusion of these symbols in Apple’s iPhones. The ease of emojis catching on in places outside of Japan, however, wasn’t made easy by an early decision Apple made.![screen-shot-2016-09-02-at-12-58-43-am](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-02-at-12.58.43-AM-e1475686812396.jpg)
The Unicode standard
The proliferation of emojis across the globe across all devices doesn’t just happen by magic. It took a lot of work and the Unicode Standard to make it a reality (and allow everyone from teen girls and boys to moms and dads to text emojis like mad). The Unicode Standard is a computing industry standard meant to ensure the consistent handling and encoding of text expressed in a majority of the globe’s writing systems. Which, in layman’s terms, means: For you to be able to send that cute pile of poo emoji where you live in the U.S. to your chum in Asia, who’s using a totally different OS and platform, the Unicode Standard had to come into play. Otherwise, we’d still have that early chaos in Japan when its three biggest mobile carriers failed to standardize emoji sets—and, as a result, the emojis sometimes wouldn’t show up on competitors’ devices. Back in 2010, certain emoji character sets were incorporated into Unicorn, which has enabled these emojis to be used not just outside of Japan, but also across various operating systems in a consistent fashion. Note that this occurred just one year before Apple finally succeeded in being able to support emojis internationally with its iOS 5 release.![screen-shot-2016-09-07-at-8-02-19-pm](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-07-at-8.02.19-PM.jpg)
What does the father of the emoticon think?
We briefly mentioned emoticons earlier on to make clear the separation between emojis and mere emoticons. Amid all this hubbub surrounding the spread of emojis, it’s interesting to note what the man who invented the use of standard keyboard characters to convey some semblance of emotion thinks! According to an interview with the UK’s Independent, Scott Fahlman, the Carnegie Mellon University professor who came up with emoticons three decades ago, lambasts emojis as being unsightly: “I think they are ugly, and they ruin the challenge of trying to come up with a clever way to express emotions using standard keyboard characters. But perhaps that’s just because I invented the other kind.” Fahlman invented emoticons as a way to allow those posting on the university’s electronic bulletin board to convey that they were merely writing something humorous, as opposed to something serious. Misunderstandings based on jokes written in messages on the bulletin board were a problem, and the good professor wanted to avoid any feelings of ill will growing out of mere miscommunication.![screen-shot-2016-09-02-at-12-55-14-am](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-02-at-12.55.14-AM-e1475686923261.jpg)
The constant, endless stream of emoji updates
Since this standardization and ensuing global popularity occurred a few years back, emojis have been continually updated on all major OS. It seems like every big update from Apple or Google brings with it a ton of new emojis that people will instantly latch onto like they’re the latest craze. Here’s a rundown of some of the more memorable emoji updates in history: 2012 – Apple’s iOS 6 update begins to feature a gay and lesbian couple amid all their usual emoji characters like heterosexual couples, monkeys, painted fingernails and dancing girls. The gay and lesbian couple are shown holding hands (as much as Apple can accurately show pixelated characters holding hands). 2013 – Google finally added legitimate emoji support to its Android OS by making them part and parcel of the official Google keyboard app. Before this crucial and long-needed Android update, users had a hard time to make emojis work on their Android devices. They either had to memorize specific command words to select emojis, or they had to actually long-press their spacebars after they installed the correct language packs. As a result, Android users everywhere rejoiced, as they could now keep up with the fast and furious text messages of teen girls around the globe.![screen-shot-2016-09-02-at-1-00-56-am](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-02-at-1.00.56-AM-e1475687017560.jpg)
![screen-shot-2016-09-07-at-8-11-57-pm](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-07-at-8.11.57-PM.jpg)
What does the future hold in store for emojis?
The thing about emojis is that they’re still a relatively new phenomenon—especially when we venture out of Japan. Known in Japan since 1999, emojis have only gotten popular globally since about 2011, thanks to Apple’s inclusion of them in their smartphone keyboards. In just a few, short years, people have taken to emojis like nothing before! When everyone including your mom texts them, then you know you have a global phenomenon on your hands. Think of it: Every major tech platform today—whether it’s Apple, Google, Microsoft, you name it—has made room for emojis. You can send an emoji on an iOS device and have it show up no problem on an Android device. You can also send emojis on desktop and mobile devices. Clearly, the Unicode standard has ensured that virtually everyone on the planet with access to a digital device can send and receive emojis!![screen-shot-2016-09-07-at-8-21-36-pm](https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2016/09/Screen-Shot-2016-09-07-at-8.21.36-PM-e1475687566283.jpg)
Marc Schenker
Marc’s a copywriter who covers design news for Web Designer Depot. Find out more about him at thegloriouscompanyltd.com.
Read Next
15 Best New Fonts, July 2024
Welcome to our monthly roundup of the best fonts we’ve found online in the last four weeks. This month, there are fewer…
By Ben Moss
20 Best New Websites, July 2024
Welcome to July’s round up of websites to inspire you. This month’s collection ranges from the most stripped-back…
Top 7 WordPress Plugins for 2024: Enhance Your Site's Performance
WordPress is a hands-down favorite of website designers and developers. Renowned for its flexibility and ease of use,…
By WDD Staff
Exciting New Tools for Designers, July 2024
Welcome to this July’s collection of tools, gathered from around the web over the past month. We hope you’ll find…
3 Essential Design Trends, July 2024
Add some summer sizzle to your design projects with trendy website elements. Learn what's trending and how to use these…
15 Best New Fonts, June 2024
Welcome to our roundup of the best new fonts we’ve found online in the last month. This month, there are notably fewer…
By Ben Moss
20 Best New Websites, June 2024
Arranging content in an easily accessible way is the backbone of any user-friendly website. A good website will present…
Exciting New Tools for Designers, June 2024
In this month’s roundup of the best tools for web designers and developers, we’ll explore a range of new and noteworthy…
3 Essential Design Trends, June 2024
Summer is off to a fun start with some highly dramatic website design trends showing up in projects. Let's dive in!
15 Best New Fonts, May 2024
In this month’s edition, there are lots of historically-inspired typefaces, more of the growing trend for French…
By Ben Moss
How to Reduce The Carbon Footprint of Your Website
On average, a web page produces 4.61 grams of CO2 for every page view; for whole sites, that amounts to hundreds of KG…
By Simon Sterne
20 Best New Websites, May 2024
Welcome to May’s compilation of the best sites on the web. This month we’re focused on color for younger humans,…